16-19 Bursary Fund Policy    Statement 2026

Policy details

• Date created - October 2026
• Date reviewed - October 2026
• Date approved - October 2026
• Next review date - 03/11/27
• Policy owner -Thomas Hodgson
  

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Contents

1. What is the Bursary?
2. What should the bursary be used for?
3. Who is eligible for a bursary?
4. How will eligibility be assessed?
5. What to do next
6. Your personal data
7. Link to application form

1. What is the Bursary?
   

Financial support can be provided to students of families who are on low incomes to help with the extra costs of staying on in education. The following information details our Academy’s management of the Bursary funds.

All Post 16 students can apply. Each application will be assessed to determine if the student and/or their family’s personal financial situation meets the criteria to be deemed eligible for support.

2. What should the bursary be used for?

The bursary is money that you, or your school, can use to pay for things like:

• Clothing, books and other equipment for your course
• Transport and lunch on days you study

Funding is intended solely for essential equipment or services—such as specific workbooks, course clothing, or essential travel expenses—that are additional to standard provision, above and beyond what the school already provides as standard. It cannot be used to fund duplicate items or personal general-use devices for the home.

• School-provided equipment first: The school reserves the right to supply suitable equipment directly (such as a school-managed laptop required for course studies) rather than providing cash or funding individual purchasing requests.

• School property & return requirement: Any physical equipment, hardware (e.g., laptops, tablets), or reusable learning resources purchased using bursary funding remain the property of the school. All items must be returned in good condition at the end of the student’s course or upon leaving the school.

3. Who is eligible for a bursary?
   

3.1 Vulnerable Learners (Vulnerable Student Bursary)

Students who have been predetermined as vulnerable under any of the following statements as decided by the government will qualify for financial support. Students deemed to be eligible for this payment are:

• A student who is in local authority care  
• A student who is a care leaver  
• A student in receipt of Income Support or Universal Credit because they are financially supporting themselves.
• A student who receives Disability Living Allowance (DSA) or Personal Independence payments in their own right and Employment Support Allowance (ESA) or Universal Credit in their own right.

This group of young people could receive up to £1200 per year (which may be paid in-kind), as long as they meet the criteria set out in section 3.4 below.

3.2 Students from low income households (Discretionary Bursary)

As an Academy, we have specific criteria for discretionary bursaries. We will consider your individual circumstances, which usually includes your family income. Co-op Academy Southfield deem this to be a combined household income of less than £30,000 (i.e. gross income before tax, after pension deductions but including any benefits). This means that all students eligible for free school meals are automatically also eligible for a discretionary bursary. Students who were in receipt of Free School Meals within the last 6 years will also be automatically eligible to access discretionary bursary funds, with allocations based on need.

3.3 Exceptional Bursary Fund

In a situation where a student is from a household experiencing short term financial difficulties but is not necessarily eligible for the Post-16 bursary, we reserve the right to award exceptional funds to remove barriers to learning. These funds are not covered in the assessment form, so if circumstances arise which may lead to consideration of an exceptional payment, please speak to Tom Hodgson (Assistant Headteacher) in the first instance.

In these circumstances we will require a letter explaining any short-term difficulties and any relevant supporting documentation, e.g. tax credit award notice, proof of household income.  

3.4 Other Criteria  

In addition to the assessment form, Co-op Academy Southfield has the following criteria that must be met in order for a student to receive financial support.

1. Attendance – must be above 90% in the last 3 months 

The above criteria will be assessed and if they are deemed not to have been met, any bursary allocations will be withdrawn.  If there are exceptional circumstances which lead to any of the above criteria not being met, please speak toTom Hodgson (Assistant Headteacher) so that these can be considered.

4. How will eligibility be assessed?
   

Assessment will be made using the attached application form.  

Section 2 considers eligibility based on the government criteria for a Vulnerable Learner.

Section 3 considers eligibility based on the income of parents / guardians living in the family home (including step parents), or sole income if a student lives with just one parent/guardian. The qualifying level of income is below £30,000 per annum.    

Evidence of household annual income, including benefits, must be provided to support every application. Details of what support to provide is given on the assessment form. Please provide photocopies of your documents with your assessment form. Without this documentation we will be unable to process your application.

Any evidence that can be provided to support sections 2 or 3 should be submitted with the application form. Following review of the application, students may be requested to provide further evidence.

Once eligibility has been determined, the value of the bursary and details of what funds can be used to pay for will be communicated to students. The Academy will pay bursaries in-kind rather than cash where possible.

If your household income changes during the year, you must inform the Academy immediately.

The final decision regarding eligibility for Post-16 Discretionary Bursary Funding lies with the Academy.

There is a possibility of no award, or a limited award. The Academy may decide that although eligible for a bursary because you are in one or more of the defined vulnerable groups, you do not have any actual financial need and so do not need support from the scheme. For example, your financial needs are already met and/or you have no relevant costs.

5. What to do next:
   

Please contact naushin.f.mirza@coopacademies.co.uk to begin your application

The application date for each academic year will start in September and be open all year.

You will need to share evidence as a part of the application process: for example, benefit letters.

This will be different for each individual student, so please do seek support so we can ensure you have all the necessary documents.

Coop Academy Southfield will decide how you receive your bursary. You might be:

• Paid in full or in instalments.
• Paid in cash, by cheque or through a bank account.
• Given things like a travel pass, free meals or books instead of money

6. Your personal data

Under the current General Data Protection Regulations, our Academy has a responsibility to ensure that your personal information is processed responsibly and securely. Full details about this, and your rights, are set out in the pupil and parent privacy notices on our Trust website:  

https://www.coopacademies.co.uk/gdpr-and-data-protection/

7. Link to application form
   Application Form